Ipoh, a town located a few hours North of Kuala Lumpur, serves as the gateway for many on their way to the Cameron Highlands, a popular resort destination. The town of Ipoh itself was once Malaysia’s second largest city and was a huge boomtown as it was located next to several profitable mines. Unfortunately, time has passed by, and all of this economic activity has dried up or moved off, leaving Ipoh a shell of what it used to be. It is still worth takig a few hours to walk around the town if you happen to find yourself there on the way to the Cameron Highlands, as you can still see some marvelous buildings.

The train station is well known for it’s beauty. Striking white, it stands out on the end of the downtown area and across from the courthouse, which is qually striking. Walking down the street that goes directly out of the station, you can see many old buildings from the past of this center of industry. Great banking buildings, the old clock tower, and the Ipoh club, are still left, along with a beautiful mosque which is definitely worth looking at.

The most spectacular thing we discovered there, was not from Ipoh’s past, but rather from it’s stomach. Fantastic beef noodles and well as chicken noodes, served up by a lovely old woman in a small, packed market that is clearly a favorite of locals. The broth was just right, and the beef was melt in your mouth soft with fantastic flavor. The noodles in the chicken noodle soup were a bit spongy, adding a really interesting texture to the dish in addition to solid flavor that was there. Plus, you have the added benefit of this being Malaysia, a land with extremely strict food preparation laws, even for small food stalls, so you can be relatively confident that the little food booth you’re at is probably cleaner than the restaurant you go to back home. Even if not, the taste is worth it. If you happen to find yourself in Ipoh, you’d be missing out on one if it’s best attractions if you don’t find your way here.

Welcome to Langkawi, concurrently a tropical paradise and tax-free haven, this island on the northwest coast of Malaysia has been positioned by recent government promotions as a premier vacation destination in Malaysia. Easily reachable by ferry from Penang, the mainland, or a few locations in Thailand, it presents an easy and tempting getaway for people in the local area as well as foreigners from all over the planet. Sit back, relax, and let the smell of palm trees fill your nose as we show you 5 things that shouldn’t be missed on the island of Langkawi.

Georgetown is the entryway to the exotic island of Penang in Malaysia, and this port city has seen different cultures come and go throughout the years while still maintaining it’s own unique flavor. Georgetown is Penang’s main city, and is the entry point to the island for most, whether you are coming from the Ferry or the primary bridge to the mainland. It might be tempting for many tourists to skip past this historic town on the way to the more touristy destinations and beaches of Batu Ferringhi, but it would be a horrible mistake as Georgetown has it’s own wonderful appeal, even without the sand.

Penang, like Malaysia in general, is a giant melting pot of cultures, especially Malay, Indian, and China. Penang’s strategic location meant that it also had many visitiors/owners from former western powers, such as the Dutch and the British, making for an even greater melange than normal. This means that, depending on what street you turn down, you could start your walk in Merry Old England, walk through Calcutta, and end up in Shanghai. It’s like Epcot Center, only real, and without $20 commemorative mugs.

The legacy of British colonialism is apparent in the architecture in the area near the port and culminates in the remnants of Fort Cornwallis, a star-shaped fort built by the British to protect the harbor. The fort, open for tours, has been gutted by time, but the walls, chapel, powder magazine, and a few cannons are more than enough to conjure up an idea of days past. You can stare out of the harbor and feel what it would have been to be behind the walls of such a structure, thousands of miles from home.

Turning away from the port area and heading South, you see the main administrative buildings of the island, another remnant of British control, as you can clearly see by the architectural style. Read more